An American in Berlin as the votes came in

Date: 26/09/02

US journalist Roxana Saberi tastes the atmosphere of election night in Germany

I ARRIVED at the Greens' campaign party to be greeted by a crowd of smoking, beer-drinking revellers, riding on a wave of strong early-election returns. Partygoers mingled loudly, cheering when they saw one of their own appear on TV screens set up around the building.

They'd been written off by many before the election, despite having the most popular politician in Germany, Joschka Fischer, at their helm. No wonder they were in the mood to celebrate.

It was tempting to stay, but I made my way to Gerhard Schröder's SPD campaign party. The contrast to the Greens' gathering couldn't have been more marked. Here the mood was serious: the race was still too close to call and earlier Edmund Stoiber had declared victory for the CDU/CSU coalition - rather prematurely, it would turn out.

I have covered various elections in the United States. This was the first time, however, I had experienced first-hand an election in another country. I'd arrived in Berlin a week before the vote, on a journalism fellowship sponsored by the RIAS Berlin Commission. The goal was to learn more about German politics, society and economy. I'd made contact with European Voice beforehand (you might be surprised to know that Brussels matters for some in North Dakota) and the editor invited me to jot down some of my initial impressions.

What struck me most was the closeness of the contest between the SDP/Green coalition and the CDU/CSU. Inevitably, it brought back memories of the Al Gore - George W. Bush 2000 race. Sunday's election was the closest national election in Germany since the Second World War.

A major difference, however, is that while Americans took weeks to figure out who would be our country's next president, the Germans knew who their chancellor would be by the end of the night. (Of course, Germany had fewer votes to count and did not have to deal with the question of 'hanging chads').

The comparisons don't end there. Schröder's late comeback in the polls - attributed by many to his opposition to a US-led military campaign in Iraq and to his swift handling of Germany's floods - echoed President Bush's boost in popularity after the 11 September attacks. Both men benefited from looking like strong leaders in times of crisis.

Of special interest to me as a TV reporter was the coverage of the election. From what I could gather in one week, the media in Germany covered both the personalities (as seen in the televised debates) and the issues (namely the economy).

In general, it covered more of the latter than the former, even though I have heard that personalities may have played more of a role in this election than in earlier races (the US media would have paid more attention to certain aspects of the candidates' background, such as the fact that Schröder and Fischer have each had four wives).

The high voter turnout in Germany, (even though not its highest ever) is truly admirable. It is difficult to imagine - at least in the near future - voter turnout in the US anywhere close to the near 80 seen in Sunday's election.

With Iraq and transatlantic relations a significant issue in the election, I have been asked at least once a day about my views on the US administration's stance. I don't think the average American realises that so many Europeans resent its foreign policies. Although I have lived in Europe and visited the continent several times, I had not encountered such opposition to a US administration's foreign policies before.

I have enjoyed learning more about the perspectives of the EU, while feeling obliged to state that the US public is diverse: some support Bush's policies, others do not.

• Roxana Saberi is a reporter with KVLY-TV11 in Fargo, North Dakota. Her visit to the EU took her to Berlin, Dresden and Brussels.

Feature on the German elections by an American journalist.